Process of treating hydrocarbons



Nov. 13, 1928.

. A. scHwARz PROCESS OF TREATING HYDROCARBONS Filed March 1924 Fey. ,2

I r A/ swven toz 8%1 1btomm Patented Non 13,1928 l.69l,l)85 UNITED STATES PATENT o-Fr cE.

ALFRED scEwmz, or MONTCLAIR, new mess sssmn'on To rETRoLnUM SAND PRODUCTS COBPORA1IQN,,A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.-

raocnss or TREATING nv'nnooamaons.

Application flled March 1,1924. s=r111wo.,sse,14e.

Inmy Patent '#1,458,443 I have described ceedingly important factor. The loss of hythe use of agitation for the purpose of form drogen, therefore,in the form of fixed gases, ing a vapor oil emulsion between hydrocar- (although such gases Inight'be used for fuel) bons already vaporized at a given temperais highly undesirable and. means to prevent I 5 ture and oils not yet vaporized. Heretofore this loss is important and very desirable-in 00, I have often used such an agitator'in vessels any cracking process. 4 I attached-to the still although my previous Furthermore, deposition of carbon 'uppatent is not limited to the useof agitators at on the heated surface reduces the heat cona such places. Ihave found, however, that theductivity of such surface toward the oil under,

'place where the agitator is used, its location treatment to such a degree that with the in- 65 with reference to the heating element or elecreasing amount of carbon so deposited, such ments, its speed and the direction of How surface will be insulated from the oil to acoucaused by said agitating means all have a siderable extent and soon will no longer congreat bearing on other results in the process duct the heat efficiently into the oil. This s of cracking oils besides those already de- .cause's what is known in the refining practice 70 scribed in my previous patent. as hot spots? or hot bottoms in the appa- 4 For example, the heat exchange between ratus used and as is well known to those versed the heated surfaces and the oil is greatly in the art, such overheatin'g takes place veryfacilitated by such agitation. When a liquid frequently to the point of'red and whiteheat is heated to its boiling point, as canbe obwhich weakens and finally destroys the appa- 75 served in any glass. receptacle, vapor first tus. Since cracking processes are dependent forms next to the hottest point. Such vapor upon the transfer of heat from a suitable displaces the oil and such action is customsource into the oil, the efficiency of such heat firitlg'l called bubble formation. When a transfer is a very important factor in the u temporary insulate the heated surface from tion to the carbondeposition-upon the heated the liquid, (which is amuch better conductor surface. It appears, 'the refore,- that the forof heat than the vapor). In the process of mation of low boiling point compounds from cracking oil, thin films of oilex-ist or are preshigh boiling point compounds when conducta cut between the heated surface and the vapor ed in externally heated vessels should prefer.- 86 space within the bubble and it is obvious, ably take place within the liquid and not, therefore, that such fraction. of oil receives against the heated surface. .It is highly dea proportionately greater amount of heat sirable, therefore, that the main body ofliquid than the other portion of the oil contained should not be segregated by thevapor from in the vessel; It has been demonstrated in the heated surface. and if such tendency'does 90, my investigations that such isolation of fracexist, it should be destroyed immediately; tional amounts of oil against the heated sur It is Well known that whenoil is heated in face and the consequent overheating causes so-called pipestills it must be kept in 1110- an excessive cracking reaction with-the retion but such motion will tend to roll the e forms it will displace the liquid and process; Such efficiency is in inverse propor- 80 I sult of direct decomposition of molecules into bubbles along on the heated surface and un- 95 carbon and fixed ga ses. Such a reaction is less means are available to actually disperse undesirable since neither carbon norfixed larger bodies'ofvapoi'sinto,or'mix-them with gases are wanted in the process of cracking the liquid as soon as they are formed, the reoils into relatively lighter oils as in the case sult of circulation is not sufiicient 'to over-' 1- for example in the production of motor fuel come the defects in the process above de- 6 r from fuel oil or heavy residues. scribed. Y r

As is well kn wn, fixed gases have a much It should be further understood that the higher hydrogen content than the hydrocardegree of temperatureto which an oil is bon compounds that are liquid at-normal raised is a direct means of obtaining comtemperatures which are desired for motor pounds of different characteristics. An oil 105 fuel. Since it is costly and'commercially im that 'isheated to' 600 -F. will give entirel practical to obtain-hydrogen and combine the different end compounds from the same. 011

8 same with carbon in orderto form gasoline heatedto 1000F If productsare desired compounds and similar oils, the preservation such as; are obtained by heating the soil to I of hydrogen in any'c'racking process is an exg F. any portlon of the Oil Which s heated no to 1060 F. will produce as productsof a its top.

- comp understood that cause the formation of a the stuffing. box

different character which may or may not be suitable for the purpose desired. It is therefore, quite obvious that in order to obtain a maximum output of definite compounds or ounds within definite ranges, it is necssary to heat all the oil to a uniform maximum temperature and none of it to temperatures above such desired ranges and by eliminating.

the isolation of small bodies of oil between the vapor formed against the heated surface, I not only eliminate the dissociationjof the molecules into fixed carbon and fixed gases, but I obtain'a maximum output of liquids condensable at normal temperature.

In'the accompanying drawing I illustrate one form-of my invention. It is, of course, I may place the agitating impellers in any stilhand that'I may cause the-agitation also by other means than by impellers. My preferred form, ing. The agitation should be sufiicient to vapor-oil emulsion.

In the -drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is acrosssectional Reference character 1 indicates a still which may beheatedin the usual manner. by means of the furnace 2 The still is provided with a va or outlet 3 and a liquid inlet 4 near 3 stirrer 6 carrying propellers 7- is mounted in bearings 8 in the still, the shaft of the propeller passing outwardly through 9 and being driven from any convenient source,'such-as a pulley 10.

. A partition'llwhich may be a sheet of iron, for example, having perforations 12, is placed longitudinally across the still dividmg the same into a lower compartment in;

' which the stirrer isjmounted andan upper wool, or the like, 13.

- versed at the other. end

portion which is filled with steel borings,

In '0' rating this deyice, fire is supplied under t e still 1 in the-usual manner and the still is filled 'th the oil to be distilled nearly up to the level of the partitionll and the impellers are reyolvedrapidly... say at.a speed of about 400; to1600 R. P. M. so as toacause' 7 arapid flow and thoroughbeating .of the y the impellersi'n one direction isreof the still andat this parts and returns'in the op- .point the stream thus causing eddy currents its direction,

' which help to breakup the yapor bubbles temperature and wit a a vapor-oil emulsl and prevent the same from being retained for any considerablelength of time iir 'one place. The still may be 0 erated at any suitable or'wit-hout pressure. When I use the. term agitation, [mean that agitation which causes the formation 10f on. If for instance, an impeller is to cause agitaion and the suitable position into the however, is illustrated in draw-I view of the same.

peller is. revolved atn'elatively slow peripheral speed, say 100 feet per 'minute, thesuction created by such speeds is entirely insufiicient to cause incorporation of vapors in the liquids and such agitation is not of any value in the process herein described but if'velocities are used such as for example, 2000 periph erahfe'et per minute, then a suction is created which causes any vapor that may be present to flowto the center of the stream, thereby passin through the impeller and there larger vapor bubbles will bebroken up into smaller ones, thus causing the production of a vaporoil emulsion. The same may hold good if an injector, for instance,-were used to cause the agitation. When the velocity of the liquid passing through theVenturi tube ofthe in-- ector is at a relatively low speed, no suction is created and therefore substantially no vapor will be incorporated but if the velocity 85.

is great, suction is created and vapor is passed also through the injehtor which again is dashed-either against obstructionsor against stagnant or semiwstagnant oil and there emulsions are formed. Either slow or fast 7 straight line movement may theref re' rmit segregation of vapor and liquid, w ereas, fast movements interrupted by suitable meanswill create on the suction side of theapparatu's, suflicient vacuum to take in vapors and at the discharge side of the apparatus such vapor taken in should preferably meet obstructions or semi-stagnant bodies of liq- 'uids which will aid emulsification.

I have treated in'this still Panuco crude 1 and other heavy oils, as well as heavy-test and have dues from other cracking processes been able to avoid successfully the formation j of carbon on the heated surfaces. For exams ple, a Panuco oil of 10 was cracked in the still with the agitator'in motion and in 'flvedays operation no carbom deposition was found in the still, whereas, in two days operation without the agitator,

from one-quarter inchito three bol'r -was formed against the still shell by f treating-the same oil in the same manner;

Iclaimp heavy oil suiiicientlj to evolve vdp'or an yiolently agitating the vapor and oil while being heated .to a'cracking tem y. I

means. of an agitator rotating at-a speed of about 400 to 690 re n P minute a;

by forming s gjpor-oilemuls1on'.

2. The processof converting heavy oil into light oil which comprises agitating said vapors 'and oilwith .jsufiicient vigor to form a vapor-oil emulsion, simuldegrees B.- gravity 5 9 inches of car- 1 1. The process which comprises heaiting .11

v heating heavyoi] sufliciently .to evolve vapors, mechanically taneously heating'said emulsion to a -decom-' 

